Guru Padmasambhava is shown here as Guru Dragmar. Here he takes the form of the mystic ritual dragger, phurpa. Phurpa symbolizes its unchangeable and indestructible vajra nature. Vajra-flames often emanate along the edge of its blades, as the phurpa is described as blazing with fire from when it is stable in the ten directions. Padmasambhava here holds a vajra in his right hand and a scorpion in the left hand. Elephant and human skin hang from his back. He has Garuda wings which are spread open. His feet take the form of a sharp triangular phurpa which pierce the back of an enemy. A pair of snakes is around his body. He wears a garland of freshly chopped human heads. He has a wrathful face, upturned flowing golden hair, flaming fangs and his beard has been designed in the shape of a screw. He is adorned with skull crown with jewels, earrings, necklace, armlets and bracelets. The figure is surrounded by a flaming aureole. This is perhaps the powerful bold depiction of Padmasambhava as Guru Dragmar.

Padmasambhava was a great Buddhist teacher and tantric master. He was originally from Oddiyana, an ancient country of the North-western region of Indian-subcontinent. It is said that once Amitabha emits – a red ray of light that pierce the Dhanakosha Lake in Oddiyana and an immaculate lotus arises from the centre of the of the Lake. King Indrabhuti dispatches his minister to find out the miraculous emanation. The minister finds a child of eight, seated in the lotus, encircled by rainbow auras and dakinis. When the child is brought to the court and the king asks him he replied – "my father is wisdom, my mother is voidness. Mine is the country of Dharma." The boy was called Padmasambhava, lotus-born and he was adopted by the king. But later on he left the palace and society and went off to become a Buddha, which he soon accomplished. He then left the monk-hood and became an adept, going around India to meditate in cemeteries and wildernesses.

Padmasambhava was invited to Tibet by the Tibetan king Trisong Detsen (8th century A.D.) on advice of the famous Buddhist acharyaShantarakshita to tame local deities and initiate tantric Buddhist teachings in Tibet. Padmasambhava in collaboration with them founded Samye monastery in the Land of Snow. It is said that he remained fifty years in the country, created monasteries and teaching the Tantra-Yogachara doctrine. He is said to have subdue all the malignant gods, sparing only those that became converted to Buddhism and that promised to be defenders (Dharmapala) of the doctrine. Padmasambhava, in his turn, promised to enroll them in the Mahayana Pantheon and to see that they were properly worshipped. He thus succeeded assimilating parts of local Bon religion into Vajrayana Buddhism. Padmasambhava claimed to have received from the Dakini the books from which he acquired his miraculous powers. He is considered as a major cultural hero of all Tibetans, however his teaching are central in the practice of the Nyingmapa. He founded Lamaism in Tibet. Tibetans call him Guru Rinpoche or Precious Teacher with reverence and consider him as a second Buddha. In course of time Padmasambhava was deified and incarnated into eight forms, one for each of eight important actions he performed during his lifetime.

This description is by Dr. Shailendra K. Verma. His Doctorate thesis being: "Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (From its inception to 8th century A.D.)".

Click Here to View the Thangka Painting along with its Brocade

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